Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 4, 1926 INVENTOR; 0. fij eia e,

a-z-zffibuze Patented June 14, 1927.

1,632,162 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE?" oHARLnsn. BEA L, or nnonwoon BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNIoN SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, or swIssvA E, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-TRAFFIC-CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 4, 1926. Serial No. 126,9 70.

I My invention relates to railway traffic controlling apparatus, and particularly to apparatus of the type wherein train carried-governing mechanism is controlled by energy received from the trackway. vMore particularly my present invention relates to the trackway portion of such apparatus.

I will describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and will then .point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view showing one form of apparatus embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference characters 1 and 1 designate the track rails of a railway along which traffic normally moves in the direction .indicatedby the arrow. These rails are divided by insulated joints 2. into a plurality of track sections, of which only one section AB is shown in the drawing. I-

Located adjacent the exit end of the section A--B are two sources of current differing in frequency. As here shown, these .sources are a transformer and a transtively, although I do not wish to limit ,my-

self to. these particular frequencies;

The section A-.B is provided with atrack circuit which is normally supplled with 60 cycle current from the transformer C, the secondary circuit for this transformer. including the primary.12 of a tracktransformer T and the back contact 9-9 of a coding device D hereinafter explained ,The secondary 130f transformer T is constantly connected across the rails of section A--B through a limiting impedance 3. Located at the entrance end A of the section A B is a track relayR having two windings 4 and 5, winding 4 being constantly connected with the track rails land 1 of section'AB.

This relay is of a type requiring alternating currents of the same frequency in 1ts two.

windings 4 and 5 to effectively energize the relay, and as here shown, the relay is of the centrifugal type comprising arotor 6 operated by the windings-4 and 5 and a. back contact 7 which is open only when the centinuous supply trifugal device'14 is rotating at or above a predetermined speed. Wlnding 5 is energized from the secondary ofa transformer The coding device D comprises a winding ill the primary of which is normally sup- 15 provided with a circuit which passes from terminal of a suitable source of current through a back contact 8 controlled by winding 15, then through winding and back contact 7 of relay R to terminal 11 of the same source of current.

7 It follows that when back contact 7 is closed, the device D will be alternately energized and dc-energized due to the fact that, its own back contact 8 is included in the circuit of the operating winding 15, and so the second contact 9 of thisdevice will alternately engage contact points 9 and 9 WVhen contact 9-9 of the coding devicel) is closed, the supply of cycle current from the transformer. G

to the track rails is discontinued, and

cycle current from the transformer 0 9 is then supplied to the rails, the secondary cir cuit for transformer C including contact 9'9'E andthe primary 12 of thetrack transformer T. It follows that when a train foccupies section,A-B, so that. the back con- Thefapparatus is intended for co-operation with train-carried governing mechanism H which responds to theiintermitten t supply of 100 cyclecurrent but not to j the'concurrent,

I have found that the 'centrifugal relay R;

merely supplied with 60 cycle current therelay would not become energized when a.

of such current or to 60 cycle tact .7 of track relay R is closed, the rails of train leaves section A-B. 'Furthermore, I 4

have found that this relay will not become effectively energized if cycle current and 100 cycle current are simultaneously supplied to the winding 5 and if these currents are alternately supplied to the winding 4. I have accordingly provided means for always supplying winding 5 with current of the same frequency as that supplied to the winding t through the track rails, and as here shown, this is accomplished by always supplying the primary transformer E with current of the same frequency as that supplied to the primary 12 o'rthe track transformer T. That is to'say, when contact 9-9 of the coding device D is closed, 60 cycle current is supplied to the primaries of transformers E and T, whereas when con tact 9-9" is closed, 100 cycle current is supplied to the primaries of both transformer E and T.

\Vhen a train enters section AB, it deenergizes relay B so that the coding device D is set into operation to alternately supply 100 cycle and 60 cycle current to the rails of section A-l3. When the train leaves the section, the alternate supply of these currents continues until the centrifugal device 14: of relay R is brought up to a speed high enough to open contact 7. The coding device D then stops operating'and so will sup ply .60 cyclecurrent continuously to both windings i' and 5 of relay B, so that this relay then operates in the usual manner.

Ordinarily the coding device D will be controlled in part by trai'iic conditions in advance of section AB as well, as by back contact 7 of relay R, but since this further control forms no part of my invention 1 have omitted it from the drawing in order to simplify the disclosure.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without. departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination, a section ot' 'railway track, a relay having two windings one of which is energ zed'from the track rails of said section, two sources of alternating current diil'eringin frequency, means for constantly supplying current to the rails of said section' from one of said sources. When said relay is energized and for supplying current alternately from said sources when the relay is de-energized, and means for always supplying current to the other winding of said relay from. the source which is supplying current to. the track rails."

2. In combination, a section of railway track a relayhaving two windings one of which is energized from the track rails of said section, two sources of alternating current differing in frequency, a coding device controlled by said relay in such manner that the device-is at rest when the relay is energized and in operation when the relay is deenergized, means. controlled by said coding device whenin operation for alternately connecting said two sources with the rails of the section, said device when at rest connccting one of said sources constantly with the track rails, and means for always supplying current to the other winding of said relay from they source; which is supplying current to the track rails.

3. In combination, a section oi? railway track; a relay having two windings one of which is energized from the rails of said section, a centrifugal device actuated by currents in said: windings, and a contact controlled by said centrifugal device; two sources of alternating current differing in frequency, means for constantly supplying current to the rails of said section from one oi said sources when said relay is energized and for supplying current alternately from said sources when the relay is de-encrgized, and means for always supplying current to the other Winding of said relay from the source which is supplying current to the track rails. I

4. In combination, a section of railway track, a relay having two windings one of which is energized from the track rails of said section, two sources of alternating current difierin in frequency, means for con stantly supplying current to the rails of said section from one of saidsources when the section is unoccupied and for supplying current alternately from said sources to the rails when the section is occupied, and means for always supplying current to the other windingof said relay from thesource which i is supplying current to the trackirails.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

i CHARLES R. BEALn 

